Location, infrastructure and distances
West Brabant, centrally located between the international ports of Rotterdam and Antwerp, is situated a short distance away from the large population concentrations in North-West Europe. With excellent connections and an exemplary infrastructure via road, water, rail, pipeline and optical fibre networks. Situated just 100 kilometres from the international airports of Schiphol and Zaventem. And with sufficient space for you and your company.|
Distances West Brabant |
Kilometers |
Miles |
|
Rotterdam |
50 |
31 |
|
Antwerp |
50 |
31 |
|
Flushing |
60 |
37 |
|
Amsterdam |
100 |
62 |
|
Brussels |
100 |
62 |
|
Paris |
400 |
250 |
|
Dusseldorf |
150 |
94 |
|
Hamburg |
515 |
322 |
|
Z¨¹rich |
690 |
431 |
The region is situated at an intersection of European roads. The north-south corridor between the Delta metropolis (Amsterdam/The Hague/Rotterdam) and the Flemish Ruit (Brussels, Antwerp, Ghent, Bruges) crosses the east-west axis in West Brabant between the Ruhr region and Vlissingen. A base of operations where many enterprises feel at home.
The A17 near Roosendaal
West Brabant is easily accessible by road, by rail, by water, by air and with the pipeline. There are few traffic jams, and the High-Speed Railway (HSL ), freight railway line 11 and the construction of the A4 Zoomweg motorway will make the region even more readily accessible in the future!
- the A16 motorway runs from north to south via Breda (in 2004 as a 6-lane motorway), the A29/A4 motorway runs via Roosendaal/Bergen op Zoom, and the A27 motorway runs via Oosterhout/Breda, with the A17 motorway as a connecting axis (Moerdijk-Roosendaal)
- the A58 motorway runs from east to west via Breda/Bergen op Zoom and the A59 motorway (Maas route) runs via Oosterhout)
- West Brabant has few traffic jams.
By rail:
- via Breda, the railway route between the Randstad and Germany
- via Roosendaal, the international train connection between Schiphol and Brussels/Paris/London
- via Bergen op Zoom, Roosendaal and Breda is the connection between Vlissingen and the Ruhr region
- Numerous industrial estates have multimodal facilities such as rail-road terminals
- The HSL (high-speed railway line) will mean an even faster railway connection from 2009.
High speed rail
By water:
- The Schelde-Rijnkanaal is the most important inland shipping connection between Rotterdam, Bergen op Zoom and Antwerp
- The Hollands Diep, with the adjoining large-scale harbour and Moerdijk industrial estate, is accessible for ships with a draught of 8.40 metres
- The Merwede, linking up with the Hollands Diep, forms an important logistics shipping connection to the Ruhr region.
Container terminal near Oosterhout
By air:
- Larger airports such as Zestienhoven (Rotterdam), Eindhoven Airport en Antwerp are located approximately 50 km. away from West Brabant
- Airports with intercontinental flights such as Amsterdam Schiphol and Brussels Zaventem are located approximately 100 kilometres away
- Seppe airfield is suitable for short business flights with twin-engined aircraft. It is situated on the A58 motorway between Etten-Leur and Roosendaal
Airport Seppe
With the pipeline:
A large-scale pipeline route runs through the western part of West Brabant. This connects the Sloegebied, the Antwerp port area and Rijnmond. Places such as Bergen op Zoom, Roosendaal and, not to be forgotten, the Moerdijk industrial estate, offer companies the opportunity of making direct use of this pipeline route.
Via datacommunications:
West Brabant has extremely good infrastructure for data communications, including fibre optics cable and city-ring facilities. There are several large operators in the region. A West Brabant telecom card with all the latest sophisticated telecom structures is in preparation.
Traffic jams
Normally, you will hear of traffic jams in West Brabant. Thankfully. But we must be honest because there is one exceptional reason. This is a temporary situation and it is causing tailbacks because of road works on the A16 (6-lane motorway) and the simultaneous construction of the High-Speed Railway Line (HSL). This combination of activities was a deliberate choice to avoid inconvenience for longer than is strictly necessary. As an alternative to the A16, traffic can use the A17 motorway (Moerdijk-Roosendaal) instead. Thanks to this mega-operation there will shortly be optimum access to the region. An advantage for companies that opt for a base in West Brabant
High-Speed Railway Line (HSL)
As of 2005 Breda will be connected to the urban centres of Rotterdam, The Hague and Amsterdam, and those of Paris and Lyon via shuttle trains, and to London via the Channel Tunnel.
|
Destination |
Travel time (from Breda) |
|
Rotterdam |
20 minutes |
| The Hague | 36 minutes |
|
Amsterdam |
48 minutes |
|
Antwerp |
18 minutes |
|
Brussels |
55 minutes |
|
London |
3 hours and 9 minutes |
|
Paris |
2 hours and 33 minutes |
| Lyon | 3 hours and 45 minutes |
|
Barcelona |
6 hours and 45 minutes |
More information on the HSL can be found here and on the HSL-Zuid site.
Freight railway Line 11
The construction of a separate freight railway Line 11 in the western part of West Brabant is under consideration. This railway line links the ports of Antwerp, Flushing, Moerdijk and Rotterdam. The construction of this line links West Brabant with the Betuwe railway within its own borders and the IJzeren Rijn route in Belgium with the German hinterland. The precise route for this freight railway is still under discussion. The region favours a rail link that avoids the towns and villages in western North Brabant, or runs underground.
Construction of the A4
In order to provide better access to the region the extension of the A4 motorway between Dinteloord and Bergen op Zoom is under consideration. Legislation is currently under review for a four-lane connection (Zoomweg-Noord). This will form part of the A4 connection between Amsterdam and Antwerp. The construction of the Zoomweg-Noord between Bergen op Zoom and Halsteren has recently been finished and the last missing part (Halsteren -Dinteloord, approximately will be ready in 2014)!
Zoomweg near Halsteren